Why it is vital to use responsive design for your website

(Originally posted 14/07/2017)

When setting up your website, you might notice the word ‘responsive’ bouncing around in everything you’re looking at. We are sure that by now, you know what responsive means when it comes to a website, but why is it so important? Why does a website have to change for every different device?

A quick recap — A responsive website is one that will automatically adapt for all the different sized screens it might appear on. When you view a website on your mobile device it should look as though it was specifically designed to be viewed that way. The same website should then look quite different on a computer screen, as though it was designed purposefully for a computer. The two experiences should look like two different (but consistent) website designs but will have actually been created using only one framework.

With most people using a combination of smartphones, tablets and computers for their internet usage, it’s pretty important that your website is in prime condition to be viewed on multiple sizes of screen.

There are plenty of reasons why it is important to have a responsive website for your business. Let’s look through a few.

One of the most important reasons that your website should be responsive is the difference that it makes to where your website ranks within search engines. Responsive websites operate much more effectively with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) than their non-responsive counterparts.

Since April 2015, Google has operated in a way that shows search results most suitable for the device you are using ahead of any others. In today’s digital society, most consumers are using their smartphones to research products on the go, before they make a purchase. This makes it all the more important for a product or service to be easily found through a quick search on a mobile device. Optimising your website for mobile usage pushes your page higher on the list of search results than others that haven’t done this. You need to make information available for anyone, anywhere, on any device.

Responsive design also makes sharing easier. You can guarantee that the resource you are sending to someone will show them the information you have intended. It will not crop out any material and it will be easy to read because the size of font, image and layout will be rendered to suit whatever device the receiver is viewing it on.

There’s no denying our society’s obsession with social media and there’s no shame in using it to your advantage. Ensuring that your website works as it should on any device makes sharing your content on social media a great tool. It doesn’t matter what kind of device your content is being used on, it will still look great and give it’s viewer all the necessary information it was intended to. Responsive websites make sure that all aspects of your website are able to be absorbed in a way that is appropriate to the device it is viewed on.

In an age where 70% of all Australians carry a smartphone with them everywhere they go, it is now very important to consider how your business presents itself on varying sizes of device.

To appear at the forefront of technology, your website needs to translate to every form of technology. This on its own demonstrates that you can keep up with a fast-paced digital environment, as a responsively designed website will adapt to whatever device it is viewed on.

Designing your website to be responsive right from the beginning also means that you don’t have to create multiple designs and versions of your website that would need to be maintained individually. Using this current technology to your advantage to create an efficient updating process. Having one framework do all the work for you reduces your development and maintenance costs as well.

If your customers are happy, you’re doing something right. To make your customers happy, you need to make sure that they have a good experience when they are using your product. User experience is a big factor to consider in almost every aspect of your operations.

Have you ever used a website on your phone that wasn’t responsive? Trying to zoom in to click, or to read the text. Trying to move around a page to get the information you want. That is not a good user experience. An unresponsive website leaves smartphone users feeling frustrated. Most people leave the website within seconds of realising it isn’t going to work properly on their phones. Designing your website to be responsive from the start means that people using your website will have a good experience regardless of the device they are using and are more likely to stay on the site longer.

Responsive design is one of the first things that should be considered in any website build. It is important for the search engine optimisation of your product or service, it is important for the shareability of your content and it is important for your company image, showing that you are up to date with technology trends. People trust a brand who looks like they know what they’re doing and who can adapt to suit their needs as a potential customer.

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